Ayodhya issue rocks Parliament

Amid uproarious scenes, the Lok Sabha was on Tuesday adjourned for half-an-hour after the chair disallowed the opposition demand for suspension of question hour to discuss the Ayodhya issue even as Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee asserted that the government was prepared for a debate on it.

The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned for 15 minutes as almost the entire opposition trooped into the well demanding suspension of question hour and discussion of the Ayodhya issue.

As soon as the House met for the day, angry opposition members sought to know the latest situation in Ayodhya and demanded that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee apprise the members of the actual position in the backdrop of the VHP's threat to start the process of temple construction from March 15.